Stiff Back Consequences

A stiff back is a common complaint of many
back pain patients,
including this author. Stiffness in the back can be both an uncomfortable experience, as well as a source of great
worry and aggravation for any affected patient.

Chronic stiffness can be a problematic issue unto itself, since
long-term tension can limit physicality and even impart negative
psychoemotional effects, such as listlessness and depression.

This article will separate muscular stiffness from spinal stiffness, in order to help patients better understand the reasons why they experience this physically-limiting discomfort.

Muscular Stiff Back Condition

Stiffness might be experienced in the muscles and ligaments of
the back
and
spine.
This is the most common variety of chronic complaint. Patients with
this form of muscular stiffness often describe their back as feeling
tight,
tense
and ready to snap. These patients often have a self-guarded range of motion, since they perceive that
injury
is just around the corner if they move the wrong way.

Many patients have trouble
bending
and twisting and might have specific activity restrictions which may
or may not be justified or logical. This decreased range of motion is
most typically perceived, rather than actual.

Muscular stiffness can be the result of injury or sympathetic reaction to a spinal cause, but is far more commonly the result of
oxygen deprivation back pain
attacking the blood supply to the soft tissues using vascular
constriction.

The root causation for some of these cases is
psychosomatic in nature. This helps explain why typical treatment
approaches do little to correct the condition and are usually lucky to
temporarily reduce the symptoms.

Spinal Stiff Back Condition

Patients with verified spinal causes for their
back pain
and stiffness account for a far smaller percentage of the total
population than patients suffering from simple muscular stiffness.

Spinal arthritis
conditions, including
facet joint syndrome,
are the typical causes of spinal stiffness, especially if significant
bone spurs
have developed around the spinal joints. These patients will often
experience an actual decreased range of motion, rather than the
perceived reduction in functionality common to muscular stiffness
patients.

Individuals with spinal stiffness have a more difficult time
finding an effective solution to their conditions, since the spinal
structures have suffered considerable degeneration.

However, just
because a patient has spinal stiffness does not mean that they will
experience pain, or any other problematic symptom, in addition to their
reduced range of motion.

Stiff Back Fixes

I was plagued with a very stiff back during
my entire back pain experience.
As my pain grew, I became more and more stiff. I felt greatly
restricted in my movements and often had the feeling something in my
back was about to snap.

My doctors came up with many explanations for this tense,
uncomfortable feeling, but none could find any solution for the
condition. Eventually, I found my own cure and beat my back pain into
utter submission. It only took me 18 years… sigh.

I was diagnosed with a plethora of symptomatic conditions, but
none turned out to be the actual reason for my pain. I realized that
the stiffness I suffered from was definitely a psychological protective
mechanism I had developed to constantly remind myself of my bad back.

This constant reminder was all part of the psychosomatic perpetuation of
my symptoms which was never properly diagnosed during my entire
agonizing journey through the healthcare system.

Unfortunately for me, the cure did not last and my pain returned
years later along with terrible chronic stiffness. I now have a
combination of spinal issues causing actual decreased range of motion,
compounded with severe muscular tightness in the back and legs which
really prevent my physical expressions form being too dynamic at this
stage. I feel like a mess.

I know that my more recent symptoms are a combination result of
mind and body issues. I can not do much to resolve the bodily concerns,
but I can work daily on the psychoemotional causes and contributors. I
find this mindbody work helps tremendously in keeping me active and
physically fit, despite my pain.

Remember, psychological issues which cause and contribute to pain
and stiffness might never truly disappear, although they can be beaten
into remission. They are inherent parts of my personality and yours, and must be actively treated throughout life to maintain states of positive mental and physical health.